


Up Late

by great_turkey_calamity



Series: Sharkandegg Cinematic Universe (kids) [1]
Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: Fluff, Fluff I guess??, Gen, M/M, Older henry and alex, alex is the serious dad, henry and alex are parents to three kids, henry’s a wine dad, mild parental argument, one of their kids comes home late, they go smoke on the roof it’s pretty cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:09:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26648809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/great_turkey_calamity/pseuds/great_turkey_calamity
Summary: Several years in the future, Alex and Henry find themselves up at two in the morning waiting on one of their children to come home.
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor
Series: Sharkandegg Cinematic Universe (kids) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1944718
Comments: 16
Kudos: 148





	Up Late

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sharkandegg](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharkandegg/gifts).



> Hi, got this inspiration from hearing about @sharkandegg ‘s OC children for Alex and Henry!! They have everything about these kids planned out to the last little detail, and I’m so unbelievably happy to be writing this story for them.
> 
> In the context of this story, they have three children. Sophie is their daughter, and the oldest at eighteen. Jamie is the middle child and sixteen. Their son, Austin, is the baby at thirteen years old, all of this being just for reference.
> 
> If you want some quality RWRB content, or just to rant about the kid OCs, their tumblr is @handsomeroyalheretic !!
> 
> Happy Reading!!

“What time is it?” Alex asks for about the tenth time in fifteen minutes, walking back and forth across their living room floor with a sense of urgency.

“About two.” Henry replies, taking a sip from his glass of white wine, turning to the next page of the novel he’s only pretending to read. It’s hard to make out any words in the faint amber glow of the lamplight, and even so, he can’t focus on any of the words. “Sit down, you’ll wake up Sophie and Austin with all that pacing.” He scolds, suppressing a roll of the eyes when Alex groans and plops down on the couch opposite his armchair.

“You said it was ‘ _about two_ ’ five minutes ago.” Alex points out, picking at stray, sparse threads.

“You passed the bar ages ago, surely you can do simple addition?” He replies, teasing, trying to lift the tension that’s fallen over their home in the early morning hours. He checks his phone, just to amuse him. “It’s two-oh-five, just as I thought.” He finishes, taking another sip from his glass. It’s only his first one of the evening, but something tells him that tonight will be rather long.

“If they’re not home in five minutes, I’m gonna call the cops.” Alex decides, and he can’t help but snort.

“Oh _yes_ , because we need the tabloids to harass us about something else.” He comments, flipping the page once again, merely to keep up appearances at this point. “Give it time; everything’s fine.”

“You’re the worrier— shouldn’t _you_ be losing your mind right about now?” Alex questions. He sounds fed up. He sounds tired. He sounds panicked. It’s not a combination that suits his husband well, not in the slightest. “How are you so calm?”

“Because, Jamie is every bit my own,” Henry explains. “They might be yours biologically, but I’ve pulled every stunt that they have. If they were in trouble, I would know.”

“ _How?_ ”

“My genius parenting intuition, of course.” He replies. “Just trust me on this, love. They’re alright.”

Aside from some mild grumbling, the room goes silent. There are other soft noises that occupy the space; the ticking clock mounted on the wall, soft rain pitter-pattering on their windows, Austin’s snoring traveling down the hallway from his bedroom. Someone’s key turning in the lock.

_Someone’s key turning in the lock._

The door slowly creaks open, then shuts soundlessly only a few moments later. There’s a gasp— a slow, soft, shuffle of shoes towards the staircase. 

“Jamie, darling,” Henry calls out, nearly laughing when he hears their child mumble a soft ‘ _fuck_ ’ beneath their breath, their footsteps stopping with the groan of the first of many wooden stairs. “So nice of you to finally join us. Please, do come here, and turn the light on when you come this way.” He instructs.

His eyes don’t leave the book as the lights flicker on, everything going fuzzy as his vision corrects and adjust to the new lighting. He takes yet another sip from his glass; he can practically hear Alex’s concern boiling over, turning into disappointment and agitation.   
  


“Would you like to tell us _why_ ,” Alexander starts, carefully choosing his words so as to not frighten his child into feeling uncomfortable or withholding information from the both of them, trying to stay calm. “You are only _now_ coming home, at two in the morning?” He questions, raising a brow, staring them down with cold, unmoving eyes.

Henry sets his book down then, crossing one leg over the other, and turns to look at his child. They appear to be perfectly fine, if not anxious and frazzled, their choppy hair damp and standing out erratically, barely salvaged from a disastrous haircut a day or two ago. Their skirt is wrinkled beyond all belief, their sweater worn haphazardly, and their backpack slung carelessly over one shoulder.

They set their bag down on the floor, gnawing at their lip, obviously having some sort of inner debate.

“Might I remind you that you’re already in hot water?” Henry reminds them, setting his glass down. “Lying to us would definitely not be to your benefit at the moment.”

After a moment of hesitance, they speak up, voice warm and sweet, the panic slowly starting to seep in.

“The train had a couple of unexpected stops on the way home.” They offer, flinging their arms around their midsection and squeezing tight; a comforting mechanism of some kind.

Henry peers over to Alexander, just to see if his ears were correct, to see if their child had really just said they’ve just got off the train at two in the morning.

Judging by the visible whites of his husband’s eyes, and his fiercely clenched jaw, he supposes that they did, in fact, hear the same thing.

“ _Do_ tell us where you journeyed off to, then.” Henry implores, picking his glass up once again. “Go on, now. You wanted to be big and brave and venture out on your own— you can tell us all the details of your little trip.” He drains the glass, setting it down again. 

They groan, dragging their fingers down their face. 

“You guys have to, like, promise not to yell or anything.” 

“We’re not gonna yell.” Alex promises. 

“Alright,” They reply, sighing. “Alright. I was in Hempstead.” 

Henry nearly chokes on his damn spit. 

“ _Hempstead?_ ” Alex asks, in complete shock, his voice raising in octave or two.

“You _promised_ you wouldn’t yell!” Jamie exclaims, pointing a finger accusingly at Alex.

“Well, it’s a bit _different_ now, considering you were on the subway by yourself for a total of two hours today!” Alex rebuts. “One of the times being in the _middle of the night!_ ”

Henry holds up a hand, effectively silencing his husband.

“What in the bloody hell were you even _doing_ on Long Island?” He asks, this being his main concern at the moment.

“Well,” Jamie starts, cracking their knuckles, eyes shifting around the room. “I was there to visit someone.” 

Henry’s heart sinks. What has their child gotten themself into? What kind of person is their child going to visit that requires a train ride out to fucking _Long Island?_

“Who did you go to visit?” Alex asks, voice strained. He can tell that his husband is trying his best to not immediately send Jamie to their room, and on one hand, he’s grateful. On the other hand, however, this feels like the night that will never end, and he would very much like to get this over with. 

“I— my boyfriend,” Jamie explains. They can see Henry physically bristle, and the whites of Alex’s eyes have returned, so they work double time to explain themself. “And _no_ , he’s not some creepy weirdo I met on the internet. He’s sixteen, same age as me.” They immediately assure them. “He goes to one of those fancy STEM academies on Long Island. We met on the subway a while ago. He bumped into me and, well, now we’re here.” They explain, gesturing about with their hands.   
  


Henry can feel a mixture of emotions coursing through him— relief, anger, and surprise, to name only a few.

“How long have you been seeing this boy?” Henry asks. He holds out his glass to Alex, who seems to be more than willing to retract himself from the situation to perform the tedious, remedial task of refilling it. He’s glad he had the thought to send him on the mission; he’d been starting to look a bit too overwhelmed and queasy, not that he can be blamed, of course. 

“Three months.” Jamie replies, quiet and mumbled, as if they’re hoping Henry won’t hear.

“ _Three months?_ ” He repeats incredulously, once again being sure that his own ears have not deceived him. Alex returns, handing him a glass of red; he’s gotta hand it to his husband, he knows him _very_ well. He takes a sip, and sets the glass down, holding out his hand. “Give me your phone, and your little boyfriend’s name and home phone number. If you two want to run around the whole state and not check in with anyone, I can call his mother, and you can be grounded together.” He decides, beckoning their child forward. 

“You can’t just call his parents—“ 

“Why not?” Alex intercepts on Henry’s behalf, giving him a well-deserved break from handling the situation. “You made the decision to go running around all the boroughs with this boy that we don’t even know. Why shouldn’t we call his parents and fill them in on the situation?”  
  


“Because Levi’s not _out_ yet, okay?” Jamie replies, their voice raising just a bit as they grip their hair in their hands. “ _Ugh_ , listen, I know it’s dumb, but just hold off for a while on that part, at least until he’s out. His parents— they hold him to such an impossible standard. They're the type of people who’ve pretty much had his life planned from before birth; he doesn’t wanna completely break them. I know it’s a lot to ask, considering what I did, but I would really appreciate it, guys.” They plead, massaging their temples. 

Henry now knows how Zahra Bankston felt all those years ago, screaming and hollering at Alex, glaring him down as soon as he fell out of that closet in a hungover stupor, her threat of _ask me if I’m afraid of the crown_ — he understands her completely at this point.   
  


He looks to Alexander, who had already been looking at him. It seems as if they both know what to do. 

“Alright,” Henry decides, nodding curtly. “We will not tell Levi’s parents.” He confirms, taking the phone from Jamie’s hand and powering it down. “You, on the other hand, are in so much trouble, the word ‘ _grounded_ ’ doesn’t even _begin_ to cover it.”

“I mean, I _did_ tell you that I’d be out late—“

“Are you really gonna try that one out, dude?” Alex questions, finding this whole ordeal to be quite unbelievable. “ _Really?_ We almost called the cops, because we thought you might have been kidnapped.”

“That’s a bit dramatic, Pops.” Jamie states, brows furrowed. 

“Not to us,” Henry replies, lightning quick. “Not when it comes to you. Surely you realize what our place in society is— you know that my mother sits as the queen of England, and that your grandmum used to be the president of the United States. I understand that you’re a teenager, and that it can be bloody _fucking_ exhausting to be followed around by PPOs and Secret Service agents and get hounded by paparazzi all the time; I still get anxiety when I go out in public, hell, I used to have panic attacks before walking my bloody dog.”

“You had a dog?”

“That’s besides the point,” He continues, pausing with one finger extended to take another sip of wine. “My point is that I understand that you want some privacy when you go out, but it’s just foolish of you to not check in with us. You sent us that text at eight o’ clock tonight, after already being out for two hours, then gave us radio silence until you walked through those doors.” He tells them, trying to get them to make sense of it. “In addition to that, you told us that you were going to the mall with some friends. Not bloody _Long Island_.”

“You’re not being punished for coming home late, or for even leaving the borough really,” Alex explains, knowing that there tends to be trouble with Jamie and understanding their punishments. “It’s the fact that you lied about where you were going, and that you only checked in with us once in a six-hour span.” He continues, seeming to have calmed down immensely. “Do you understand why we’re upset, kiddo?”

Jamie nods, hands behind their back as they sway awkwardly on their feet.   
  


“So,” They sigh, looking as if they wish they could be literally anywhere else right now. “What’s my punishment?”

“No phone for the rest of the week, same amount of time on dish duty. Might have you do a couple of more things around the house.” Henry decides. “And if I get word that you’ve left this borough again— from _anyone_ — you will be on probation. Only leaving this house to run errands with me and go to school. Am I understood?” He questions, and Jamie nods quickly.

“How are Levi and I supposed to hang out, though?”

“You can do what we used to do and FaceTime,” Alex suggests. “And he can always come to Brooklyn— we just wanna keep an eye on you.”

“Exactly, just let us know in advance that he’s coming over and we can put a little more money on your metro card so you two can go out.” Henry explains. “We’re not saying you can’t see him, just see him carefully.”

Jamie releases a massive, unburdening sigh of relief.

“Cool— cool. I’m sorry I didn’t talk to guys about anything. I’m gonna do better about that in the future.”  
  


“Don’t apologize, baby, this was probably bound to happen at some point.” Alex assures them, beckoning them forth for a hug. It warms Henry’s heart; they never leave fights on a bad note, and it was clear when Jamie came in that they were anticipating the worst, whatever that might have been. 

“Did Levi feed you while you were out?” He questions, taking another sip of his beverage. “If not, there’s a plate for you in the microwave.” He offers. “I also did some laundry—“

“How far you’ve come.” Alex jokes, and Henry glares daggers at him, effectively shutting him up.

“I did some laundry, there are fresh towels in your bathroom, if you need to take a shower.” He tells them.  
  


“He _did_ feed me, actually. We found this vegan food truck, it was just—“ They pause, offering a chef’s kiss. “Absolutely immaculate. After that, we went to his house and just hung out.” They explain, and Henry raises an eyebrow. “What?” They ask, their face contorting.

“Were there adults present?” Alex asks.

“No, why does it— _woah_.” They accuse, gesturing at the two of them before dropping their hands. “No, _absolutely_ not. We aren’t having this conversation at two-thirty in the morning. I’m not mentally prepared for that.”

“We just want to make sure you’re being safe!” Henry exclaims, scoffing at their melodrama. “We know you’re on birth control, but if you’re active you really should be using condoms—“

“‘Night, Dad! ‘Night, Pops!” Jamie shouts, running up the stairs to their bedroom. 

“Love you!” Henry shouts back, laughing when he the receives the response of a slammed door. 

  
“C’mon! You gettin’ slow in your old age?” Alex teases, gasping when Henry loses his footing.

Henry giggles, head thrown back. “I am _not old_ , you arse!” He bellows, correcting his footing and climbing the rest of the way up the fire escape, plopping down right next to where Alex is sat on the roof. He’s brought a blanket up with him, and has it tightly wrapped around his shoulders. “I had two more glasses of wine before you decided to drag me up here.”

“Is that all it takes to get you tipsy nowadays?” Alexander asks, laying his head on Henry’s shoulder as he peers up at the sky, the moon barely peeking out on the overcast, cloudy horizon. “One glass of white wine and three glasses of red?”

“That’s still four glasses of wine, doesn’t matter how you look at it.” He retorts, opening up the blanket to let his husband in. “Only takes me two to get dizzy these days.”   
  


“God, who knew I was married to such a lightweight loser— _ow_!” Alex yelps, jerking away from Henry when he’s elbowed in the rib cage. “You’re gettin’ _meaner_ , too.” He insists.

“I’ve always been this mean, just decided to baby trap you and wait a few years to show it.” Henry replies easily, kissing his scruffy jaw.

“Well, consider yourself victorious.”

“I already do.”

There’s some shuffling, and Alex pulls out a sizable sealed baggie.

“What’s that— dear _Jesus_ , did you really bring me up here at three in the morning for a sesh, Diaz?” He asks, sounding stunned, but accepting the blunt when Alex lights it up and passes it to him. He takes a long, lazy toke, and lets out a thin stream of smoke. “That’s good, Nora bring this out?”

“Uh-huh. Got some more in the bedroom.” Alex replies, taking it from Henry when it’s offered. “I don’t know about you, but I think we did a pretty fuckin’ good job back there.” He admits.

“I think so, too.” Henry replies. “Thought you were about to lose it a couple of times, though. All bug-eyed and tense.” He chuckles, watching him as he exhales before taking another drag.

“Well, it wasn’t anything unwarranted. They went to fucking _Long Island_ ; what were they _thinking_?”

“I bet Ellen was wondering the exact same thing when you flew to London in the middle of the night to yell outside my bedroom window.” He replies pointedly. 

“Well, I wasn’t _sixteen years old_ when I did that, I was a twenty-two year old man.”  
  


“Still thought like you were sixteen.”

“June said it was _very_ Jane Austen of me.”

“I’ll give her that; it most certainly was.” He confides, taking a puff when it’s passed back to him. “That child reminds me every bit of you.”

“I thought you said they were yours?” Alex reminds him, and he hums, bringing the blunt back up to his lips.

“Jamie’s like me in that they’re sensitive, more so than the other two. Sophie’s always been this genius little go-getter, and Austin, wee lamb, decided that as soon as he hit puberty, he was done expressing his emotions in earnest.” He recants. “Jamie expresses themself in these awe-inspiring ways; I’m afraid that the other two are going to keep it bottled up for so long that they’ll end up falling apart. Especially Sophie, bless her.”

“I get what you’re saying, really, but I think that they're all gonna be okay. They’re all smart, kind, wonderful children. They’ve just gotta figure things out.” Alex supplies, leaning on Henry, huddling into him for warmth.

“Harvard got back to Sophie,” Henry admits. “Yale and Oxford, too. Bryn Mawr’s still processing the application.”

He feels his husband still completely as he takes another toke.

“Well, did she get into any of them?” Alex asks, nudging Henry.

“Oh, she got into all of them, of course. Brilliant girl.” Henry replies, passing the blunt back. “She doesn’t want to go to any of them, though. Wants to turn them all down.”

“Why on earth would she turn any of those down?” 

“ _Columbia_ , babe.” He states, sighing when his spouse furrows his brows. “She wants to stay in New York. She applied back in August and got in the first of October. She's so sold on staying in New York for the rest of her life that she’s not even _considering_ her other options.“ He explains. “This is what I’m worried about. We need to find a way to show her that it’s okay to be independent, to go live her own life.”

Alex is quiet for a minute, taking the blunt from Henry’s fingers.

“I’ll have a talk with her tomorrow. Saturday, right?”

“Mhm.” Henry replies, his body flowing with fuzzy warmth, the tightness in his muscles coming unwound. 

“No practices? No clubs? No volunteering?”

“Nope, everyone’s all clear.”  
  


“Good, I’ll plan out a couple of hours tomorrow to talk to her. Might even take a leaf or two out of Mom’s book, make a powerpoint about it.”

Henry laughs, unable to contain it. “ _Please_ do, Ellen will be so proud.” He declares, sighing as he looks back at the moon. “On another note, your son’s decided that he wants to play football for the high school next year.”

“Your kind of football or the normal kind?” Alex questions, eyes glinting mischievously.

“ _‘My kind’_ is the normal kind, you prick.” He swears, letting it go after the final word. “He wants to play American football. All he’s been doing for the past month is watch the NFL network; never really thought he’d be the type.” He admits, and Alex shrugs.

“Those are our kids for ya. Always keepin’ everyone on their toes.” Alex responds, gently grabbing Henry by the chin, turning his head so that he can look at him.

Henry raises a brow, but before he can ask any questions, Alexander is kissing him. It’s innocent and languid and leisurely, but it gives him goosebumps. To think that Alex is still capable of completely captivating him nearly twenty years and three children deep into a marriage does something funny and unexplainable to him on the inside. Alex is breathing smoke into his mouth, and he feels like he might die from all the overwhelming sounds and sensations around him; what a beautifully awful way to go.   
  


He pulls away, their foreheads resting against one another’s as he exhales, giggling.

“God, I love you.” He breathes, meaning every bit of it, down into the deepest pit of his soul.

“You’ve been telling me this at least three times a day for the past two decades.” Alex points out, pecking his lips again.

“Mmm, surely more than three times?” He counters, arms draped over his shoulders. “Does it not count when I remind you to eat and drink when you’re at work? When I iron your shirts and tie your tie in the morning? When I wake you up at four in the morning to ravish you, because it’s the only time we truly have to ourselves in such a chaotic house?”

“Definitely more than three times, then.” Alex agrees, kissing him yet again.

“And I mean it, every single time.”  
  


“I love you, Henry.”

“Love you too, darling.”

It’s silent for a spell, the two of them clinging to one another as they listen to the entirety of the borough screaming below them, like two young, vengeful gods surveying the land of their creation.

Henry comes to a realization that makes his blood run cold.

“Babe, I’m fucking plastered, how am I supposed to get down?” He asks, his laugh trailing off into a whine as he buries his face into Alex’s shoulder, who is currently beside himself, his cackle carrying through the autumnal winds.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” He assures Henry, pressing a kiss to the top of his head, inhaling the scent of shampoo and conditioner. “I’ll help you down. Promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> Plugging their AO3 and tumblr once again lol.
> 
> AO3: @sharkandegg  
> Tumblr: @handsomeroyalheretic  
> My Tumblr: @bi-disaster-fsotus
> 
> Hope you liked it, have a good day!!


End file.
